Tennis Right Now: Five stories that matter

Since AO 2026 ended and the world’s best players left Australian shores, much has unfolded.

Hardcourt tennis concluded on a high with the Sunshine Swing of Indian Wells and Miami – and some extraordinary performances from Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka – before the tours switched to clay in April.

Here’s where things stand, with Rome beginning next week and Roland Garros now just a few weeks away…

Sinner soaring, back to No.1

Since his emotionally-draining five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the AO semifinals, Sinner has lost just one match.

That came to Jakub Mensik in his next event in Doha, and since then, the Italian star has built a 21-match winning streak.

He completed the Indian Wells-Miami double without losing a set, then scooped the biggest claycourt title of his career at Monte Carlo.

He beat Carlos Alcaraz in that final – wresting the No.1 ranking back off his arch-rival in the process – and became the just the second man after Djokovic in 2015 to win Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo in one year.

Now into the Madrid Masters semifinals, Sinner is just two wins from becoming the first man in the history of the format (1990 onward) to win the first four Masters tournaments of the season.

“I never take things for granted. I try to understand what's working very well in certain conditions,” said Sinner, whose form bodes well for Roland Garros where he aims to complete the career Grand Slam.

“This is my motivation, trying to put myself in the best possible position to win as many matches as possible, and that's it.”

WTA’s new world order

Sabalenka continues to assert herself as the game’s dominant No.1 – but she has a new No.2 snapping at her heels in Elena Rybakina.

For much of the past three years Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek occupied the top two spots, but a resurgent Rybakina has displaced Swiatek and set a career-high ranking in the process.

Sabalenka and Rybakina have also established the game’s best rivalry.

Since losing their thrilling AO 2026 final, Sabalenka beat Rybakina at both Indian Wells and Miami and emulated Sinner by completing the ‘Sunshine Double’.

She built a 15-match winning streak – ended in the Madrid quarters by an inspired Hailey Baptiste – and is currently enjoying her 80th consecutive week at No.1.

Rybakina, meanwhile, leads the 2026 points race to the year-end WTA Finals after her recent claycourt title in Stuttgart.

Both she and Sabalenka are among the favourites to hoist their first Roland Garros trophy.

Young talents rising

Since the Australian Open, many of the sport’s brightest rising stars have thrived.

This has been especially so on clay, where teenagers Rafael Jodar and Mirra Andreeva, and 21-year-old Arthur Fils, are building momentum ahead of Roland Garros.

MORE: Rafael Jodar explodes onto global stage

Fils missed much of 2025 with a back stress fracture, but since returning has blasted his forehand bigger than anybody and owns an eight-match winning streak after triumphing in Barcelona and progressing to the Madrid Masters semifinals.

Also going deep in Madrid was Jodar, the explosive 19-year-old Spaniard who triumphed in Marrakech – his first ATP title – then reached the semis in Barcelona, where he pushed Fils to three.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Andreeva is 12-1 on clay this year after prevailing in Linz, reaching the Stuttgart semis – where she fell to Rybakina – and advancing to the Madrid final, where she is on the cusp of her third WTA 1000 title.

Alcaraz and Swiatek looking to rebound

Since triumphing at AO 2026 and completing his own career Slam, things have taken a tough turn for Carlos Alcaraz.

The Spanish star opened the season with a flawless 16-0 record, but this was blemished by Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semifinals, then an early loss in Miami.

Alcaraz has since announced he will miss Rome and Roland Garros – both events at which he's the defending champion – due to a wrist injury, which flared in Barcelona and has sidelined him since.

Swiatek, meanwhile, is on track for Roland Garros, where she too has won multiple titles.

Yet the Pole is searching for form, after being forced to retire from her third-round match in Madrid due to illness. She has not reached a final for seven months and has lost her past six matches against fellow top-10 players.

A return to Roland Garros could be just the tonic Swiatek needs, especially now that she has Francisco Roig in her corner, the man who helped guide her idol Rafael Nadal to 14 French titles.

Roland Garros looms

Qualifying for the season’s second Grand Slam begins in just over two weeks (18 May), with main-draw action kicking off Sunday 24 May.

What’s so exciting about Roland Garros is that it’s challenging to conclusively pick a winner.

Sinner is the logical men’s favourite, but will compete with the weight of significant history on his shoulders. Alcaraz’ absence means opportunity knocks for others, such as AO finalist Djokovic – targeting an all-time record 25th major – and Alexander Zverev, who came extremely close to his first in Paris in 2024.

And with many women’s stars capable of winning the sport’s biggest titles on all surfaces, it promises to be a gripping fortnight in the French capital.

Australian fans can tune into Roland Garros on the Nine Network and Stan Sport to watch it all unfold.

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